Congratulations!!!
Run them at the level they belong, and a win is the reward. Congrats.
[QUOTE=NancyM;8488127]
Run them at the level they belong, and a win is the reward. Congrats.[/QUOTE]
While I don’t disagree and if one is looking strictly for a return on their ‘investment’ they have to look at this way.
But there are some owners a lot of owners who do not look at their racehorse/s as a ‘commodity’. Something that HAS to pay it way and give a decent ROI.
I dislike the claiming aspect of the sport. By and large I despise it. I know what it does to horses. They basically become ‘nameless’. Most if not all claiming horses don’t have a name on their halter. Because when they are claimed that’s what the owner gets back, the halter. You are left standing there with the nice halter and name plate that you bought with pride for them. As they walk away with some stranger and most of the time a cheap halter the new trainer brought with them to take the horse back to their barn.
The majority that end up in the low level claiming ranks will never wear a nice new halter with their name on it again. Because it is only a matter of time before someone else claims them.
I can’t speak for all claiming barns but have worked in enough at one time to know this is true.
Maybe I am just too sentimental but I think about this when I see the halters of couple we lost to a claim in my tack room. Years after the fact.
Just about any horse that runs below $20,000 and is reasonably competitive at that level even more so lower is going to bonce around form trainer to trainer, ‘owner to owner’. If they are fortunate and remain sound but just can’t compete at any level they will be retired and still be useful to someone else as a pleasure horse. But unfortunately a lot of people squeeze the lemon dry and the horse/s have too many issues to be of interest to OTTB owners.
If I have a horse that can’t open at at least MSW they come home. If they have to run below a certain level they come home. I con’t care if I am leaving a lot of money on the table.
No disrespect intended but even if the horse wins and gets claimed it not much of a ‘reward’ to me. It is very upsetting.
To each their own on this. I begrudge no one for feeling or looking at it differently.
OMG I cant believe she won her first race with her very first racehorse! I hope she didnt die from excitement overload!
[QUOTE=halo;8488346]
OMG I cant believe she won her first race with her very first racehorse! I hope she didnt die from excitement overload![/QUOTE]
I hope she doesn’t mind me ‘updating’ her post or quoting her. But she sent me this when I asked basically the same thing;
“Most exciting day of my life”
[QUOTE=gumtree;8486827]
First racehorse owned and wins in its first start. Not always a good thing because it sets the expectation bar much higher for newbies. But considering a lot of horses never win a race. You definitely take it when you get it. It may never happen again.
Winning is always exhilarating. But winning the first time is out of this world. I remember mine as an owner like it was yesterday. Even though it was more than 30 years ago.
It did not get claimed.[/QUOTE]
LOL, the first horse I ever bred won the first time out. It’s been quite a ride ever since!
Congratulations OP!
That’s awesome! Congrats!
Thanks all! It was definitely one of the most exciting minutes of my life!
PS. My trainer said that I could have been a good commercial to promote racing…and why people should become owners. Apparently more people were watching me than the race. LOL
So exciting to see! 
And can’t believe first race, first win. :lol:
I owned a percentage of my guy who ran on the NY tracks. If NY bred, there are levels of condition races that a NY bred can run before getting into open company. Would suspect that may be the same in FL with a FL bred? Competitive purses for NY breds in NY - not sure how FL’s are…
Our trainer was an excellent horseman - although the group was nauseating in wanting the horse to run when not ready. Some of us got to lean on the others, give him the winters off in MD, and he was able to run 4 years, improving each year. Trainer never looked for races, but let the horse tell him when he was ready to run, and then he’d have to find them. 
Totally agree not to run him over his head to hang on to them. They really get discouraged if in too deep, or lose poorly due to injury/break/traffic, etc.
Of course, you could always train him running sparingly, with the goal of his going north this summer. 
Do you know how many horses seem to do nothing for months and suddenly appear there? (Some doing surprisingly well! Would require some study to see if any possibility, though.) Although claiming prices are lower than usual, than say at Belmont and Aqueduct.
[QUOTE=Drvmb1ggl3;8425554]
Unless it’s an “Allowance Optional Claiming” race, then all horses are in for a a tag and can be claimed.[/QUOTE]
No, Optional Claiming means the owners have the option to put them in for a claim or not, there are other restrictions on those that do not run for a tag. Here is a more complete explanation.
“There are also Optional Claiming Races - this race type is quite involved and incorporates features of starter allowance and claiming races. Horses competing in this type of race can either compete as a claimer, or as a starter allowance horse, with no claiming price. Those competing in this race that are not eligible to be claimed must have competed at or below the claiming level specified, and have not won a race at the specified claiming or higher since last competing at the specified claiming level or a lower claiming price.”
[QUOTE=Calamber;8496448]
No, Optional Claiming means the owners have the option to put them in for a claim or not, there are other restrictions on those that do not run for a tag. Here is a more complete explanation.
“There are also Optional Claiming Races - this race type is quite involved and incorporates features of starter allowance and claiming races. Horses competing in this type of race can either compete as a claimer, or as a starter allowance horse, with no claiming price. Those competing in this race that are not eligible to be claimed must have competed at or below the claiming level specified, and have not won a race at the specified claiming or higher since last competing at the specified claiming level or a lower claiming price.”[/QUOTE]
All of that is a ‘given’ for the horse to be entered. The main difference in an Optional Claiming is a horse that is entered with a claiming price gets a weight allowance/break over horses that are entered with no ‘tag’.
The conditions for a Starter Allowance (no claiming tag) are similar, but none of the horses get a weight-break unless specified for age or gender or a number of others things.
Both types can be written any number of ways depending on how ‘creative’ the racing Secretary wants or needs to be.
[QUOTE=CVPeg;8496003]
So exciting to see!
And can’t believe first race, first win. :lol:
I owned a percentage of my guy who ran on the NY tracks. If NY bred, there are levels of condition races that a NY bred can run before getting into open company. Would suspect that may be the same in FL with a FL bred? Competitive purses for NY breds in NY - not sure how FL’s are…
Our trainer was an excellent horseman - although the group was nauseating in wanting the horse to run when not ready. Some of us got to lean on the others, give him the winters off in MD, and he was able to run 4 years, improving each year. Trainer never looked for races, but let the horse tell him when he was ready to run, and then he’d have to find them.
Totally agree not to run him over his head to hang on to them. They really get discouraged if in too deep, or lose poorly due to injury/break/traffic, etc.
Of course, you could always train him running sparingly, with the goal of his going north this summer. Do you know how many horses seem to do nothing for months and suddenly appear there? (Some doing surprisingly well! Would require some study to see if any possibility, though.) Although claiming prices are lower than usual, than say at Belmont and Aqueduct.[/QUOTE]
The horse is a FL bred and the OP bought the horse out of Fl. But is now based in Maryland. The race was at Laurel. Don’t think she will be shipping back to Florida just to take advantage of a FL bred race.
Florida bred races don’t come close in purse money or opportunity to NY or PA or Md now.
“Totally agree not to run him over his head to hang on to them. They really get discouraged if in too deep, or lose poorly due to injury/break/traffic, etc.”
I’ve never put much stock in this way of looking at it. Nor do I think based on my experience on their back or training them they 'look at it that way. A bit of anthropomorphism IMO. No disrespect intended.
As the late great Alan Jerkins said; “They know they are getting feed whether they win or not”.
[QUOTE=SaratogaTB;8491190]
PS. My trainer said that I could have been a good commercial to promote racing…and why people should become owners. Apparently more people were watching me than the race. LOL[/QUOTE]
I love watching owners/connections. I bet the people that backed him at 22-1 were pretty animated also.
Gumtree, for optional training, if you use an apprentice, does it get you closer to the competitors with a weight allowance?
CVPeg, I can assure you that I’ve already had Saratoga dreams in the discussion.
[QUOTE=SaratogaTB;8502811]
Gumtree, for optional training, if you use an apprentice, does it get you closer to the competitors with a weight allowance?
CVPeg, I can assure you that I’ve already had Saratoga dreams in the discussion.[/QUOTE]
A bug rider (apprentice) gets a break in weights, but sometimes they do things like fall off 40 feet from the wire when they are 5 in front…:no:
Ouch in so many ways…
How exciting, OP!!
What is the history of the horse? I see that he last raced at Gulfstream West. Did you claim him from there? How old is he?
And the most important question. Did you bet on him?
Thanks Lord Helpus! Unfortunately, he does have a medical issue which will limit his career. However, his retirement is already planned with my other guy and we will welcome him home when the time is right.
Wow!! what great luck…reminds me of a story
Shortly after meeting my husband, he bought me a quite nice A/O hunter type horse, very flashy, but the horse had one nasty little habit. About every 10th time we needed to get on the trailer, and it didn’t matter which one, he flat refused to load. Stood like a statue and would not budge. So after a nice show, in the parking lot, when the other horse is already loaded and everyone is tired, he decides today is the day he isn’t going on. Took us a while.
So Monday morning, I get a call from a local BNT, hey, really liked the bay A/O horse you were on this weekend, is he for sale? I think about it, I’ve only had him 6 months, but… I detest a horse that won’t load and he’s a little too much horse for me and I know it, so I put a stupid, double my money number on him, BNT says “I’ll have a check for you as soon as he passes the PPE”. He passes, I sell him with full disclosure, they don’t care.
My DH, a horse novice, says “wow”! you doubled your money in 6 months!! How often can you do that?..
Once. Oh believe me, once…
But hey OP, I hope your good luck continues way more than once!
